Interview | KOYO

KOYO have been on our radar for some time now. Ever since we got our ears around the single ‘Tetrachromat’, a thunderous bolt of psychedlia we have been eagerly awaiting news of an album or at the very least an EP. Thankfully, the band recently announced their self-titled debut album that is set for release September 14th 2017.

The band harness an incredible soundscape that flows and ebs in a beautifully magnetic way, by blending a variety of sounds that dance towards ethereality you cant help but be spell-bound by their music.

We caught up with the band to discuss their influences, their forthcoming debut full length and what we can expect from them in the future.

CLUNK: How have you all been and what have you been up to?

KOYO: Good thanks. We just played our last show for a while. Since writing and recording the album we’ve focused all our attention on the live show, now we want to switch it around again while we await our debut album release on 14th September. Things have moved quickly since we finished and we’re eager to try and capture the moment.

CLUNK: For those that don’t know how did you all meet and how did KOYO come to be?

KOYO: Jake and I moved up here together to chase better opportunities, and we locked ourselves away for a year and spent every day writing and recording as much as possible. It was a bedroom project. Eventually we hit upon a sound and decided we had to put a band together! These days it’s a different beast entirely. Every member of this band is integral and has stamped their own identity into it. It’s always growing.

CLUNK: Your music has a wide range of influences which can be heard in your music but was there a particular sound you wanted to make?

KOYO: We wanted to allow our true identities to come out. We didn’t want anything to feel too contrived. We have so many influences but they’re all channelled pretty naturally into the music. We never sat down and said “this is what we want to sound like”. A lot of our songs are written with an almost reckless abandon. It aids the creative process. When it came to making the album, we started to make sense of all of that!

CLUNK: What are your 5 most listened to albums of the year?

CLUNK: What artists around at the moment have taken your interest and why?

KOYO: Yussef Kamaal have impressed me the most this year. Sadly they just broke up after one album! But their debut ‘Black Focus’ just captured everything I wanted to hear at that time. Seriously funky, hip-hop grooves but not in a cheesy, ‘party band’ kind of way, but in a badass, dark and intense kind of way. I went to see them live, and they were incredible, and then they broke up a few days later!

CLUNK: Your debut album is set for release in September, What can we expect from the debut release?

KOYO: A journey from start to finish. So far people have heard only snippets in the two singles, ‘Tetrachromat (Parts 1 & 2)’ and ‘Lost in the Kingdom’. Back to back they probably caught a lot of people by surprise! You got to hear the album before it’ll make complete sense!

CLUNK: Was their a particular influence when it came to making the album?

KOYO: We drew a lot of influence from the way records used to be made before computers were even around. It has become the norm to record instruments separately and to a metronome but we wanted to capture the energy of 5 guys playing together in a room.

“It has become the norm to record instruments separately and to a metronome but we wanted to capture the energy of 5 guys playing together in a room”

CLUNK: What’s the plan for after the release? Can we expect a tour?

KOYO: Lots of touring. Lots of things in the works at the moment. We want set things up really well for next year.

CLUNK: When performing live what can people expect to see?

KOYO: Five guys getting totally lost in the music. Some songs become extended improvisations. We want our audience to feel like they’re witnessing something unique to that moment. It’s an intense attack on the senses from start to finish. It’s relentless.

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Kieran Webber

Journalism graduate based in Newquay, Cornwall. My project Clunk Magazine covers surf, Music, Art, skate and Lifestyle. In time we hope to integrate with as many artistic and creative people as possible making an online hub for creativeness, surfing and lifestyle, something I feel that accompanies the other.